Study highlights impact of inaccurate performance data

Eurovent Certification has published a new white paper highlighting the implications of inaccurate product performance data within the refrigeration industry.

Based on new research from the third-party certification body which reveals a potential 31% gap between a product’s claimed and expected performance, Broken trust: Energy efficiency and the refrigeration industry focuses on the importance of reliable product information and the impact of inaccuracies across the industry.

The study covers the European refrigeration sector and the white paper relies on data analysis to explore the accuracy of expected performance data, investigating the causes of discrepancies and highlighting the wider issues of poor performance.

The white paper explains:

•    How CO₂ systems are primed for underperformance
•    The intricacies of declared data vs expected performance
•     The impact on energy efficiency, carbon footprint and sustainability

It concludes with solutions and recommendations, explaining how the industry can safeguard against inaccurate information, reduce the risk of underperformance and build trust in product data.

The paper points out that products specified based on incorrect data will not perform as advertised. It describes this as a 'serious issue', affecting everyone from specifiers to end users, and says that products that underperform can:

• Use more energy and incur much higher running costs
• Create a larger carbon footprint
• Negatively impact on the performance and energy consumption of other parts of the system
• Be non-compliant with regulations
• Not meet end user requirements
• Be more prone to faults and breakdown
• Result in complaints, penalties and litigation
• Lead to reputational damage

In conclusion, Eurovent says: "Broken trust is detrimental to the entire industry. In a world where decarbonisation and sustainability are increasing priorities, those specifying and buying products must have certainty in product performance. Correct data is critical to the energy efficient running of refrigeration systems.''

Broken trust: Energy efficiency and the refrigeration industry is available to download here.